Bulldogs Drop Non-Conference Match to Wolfpack
October 31, 2007 | Men's Soccer
The Gardner-Webb men's soccer team fell, 4-0, to the N.C. State Wolfpack Wednesday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs gained valuable experience for the upcoming Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
Gardner-Webb opened up the match with a fast-paced attack. The Bulldogs pushed the ball up the field and Bradley Morrison fired a shot just wide of the goal. N.C. State answered the Bulldogs' attack with several of their own. The Wolfpack put together a string of three shots within a minute, but Gardner-Webb's goalie, T.J. Fox, denied all three to keep the match scoreless.
The two teams battled back and forth until the Wolfpack set up a give and go 20 yards out in the 24th minute. As a result of this play, State's Alan Shanchez netted the first goal of the match.
Gardner-Webb took possession of the ball after the goal and aggressively tried tying the match for the next several minutes. Junior Ryan Snodgrass had a good opportunity in the box, but his shot went wide of the goal. Minutes later, the Bulldogs had another opportunity with a corner kick by Eric Asanin-Miroux. His cross went sailing into the box, but the Bulldogs' were unable to capitalize.
The Bulldogs continued to play tough, but could not escape the first half without the Wolfpack scoring another goal. State's Ben Ward scored off a give and go in the box in the 44th minute, and the Wolfpack carried a two-goal lead into halftime.
Gardner-Webb played tough defense in the beginning portions of the second half. The Bulldogs forced the Wolfpack into several offside penalties and only allowed one shot on goal in the first 20 minutes of action. State eventually caught onto the Bulldogs' offside trap and placed a through ball to El Hadj Cisse for a breakaway goal. The goal put the Wolfpack up 3-0 halfway through the second period.
After a set of substitutions by both squads, State added an insurance goal from a pass into the box by Clint Pires. Cisse's second goal proved to be the last of the match and the game would end 4-0 in favor of N.C. State.
Although the scoring was one-sided, the Bulldogs came away with experience that will aid them in as they prepare to defend their A-Sun Conference Tournament Championship.
Gardner-Webb will visit non-conference foe UNC-Asheville for their last regular season match. It is scheduled for 3 p.m. on November 7th. Gardner-Webb won last year's meeting 1-0 at home against the Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville and will look for victory to enter postseason play on a positive note.
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